WIGAN Athletic are battling with Scottish giants Glasgow Rangers, and two rival Premier League clubs, for the signature of Motherwell's highly-rated young striker Ross McCormack.

Latics' boss Steve Bruce, and his assistant Eric Black, ran the rule over McCormack in the Fir Park side's Scottish Cup defeat against Dundee on Monday.

John Benson, the Wigan general manager, has also held preliminary contract talks with McCormack's agent with a view to him joining Latics at the end of the season, but Newcastle and Aston Villa are both keeping an eye on the youngster.

Bruce and Black have also been in France checking out more potential targets, while the club are giving trials to two young Chinese players.

Bruce, who has asked his former Manchester United team-mate, former Bury boss Chris Casper, to undertake some scouting duties in Europe following his recent departure from Gigg Lane, admits he is still smarting from last weekend's disappointing defeat at Sunderland.

"We know we could and should have beaten Sunderland," said Bruce, whose side has a free weekend because of the FA Cup. "We certainly created enough chances against them. It was one of those games which you look back on and think `how the hell did we lose that?'

"There was nothing much wrong with the overall performance at all. We were definitely the better side and we were harshly done by.

"Sometimes you have to say to the players hard luck, keep up the attitude and the spirit and we live to fight another day.

"With us hitting the bar, and striking the post, and putting on so much pressure, we are talking about being a matter of inches away from scoring twice and there were some immense performances.

"I was particularly impressed with Paul Scharner, who turned in an unbelievable performance at centre-half against a really good striker.

"Maybe we just have to accept it was not our afternoon and we must fight on.

"We've got one or two niggling injuries. Mario Melchiot picked up a knock while on international duty and Ryan Taylor suffered a bang in the ribs but we have a two-week break to get people fit and hopefully that can benefit us.

"It would also give Emile Heskey time to overcome his injury problems."

Wigan have a number of huge games coming up with Birmingham, Reading and Bolton all due to visit the JJB.

Chairman Dave Whelan said: "It's in our hands, I just hope we are safe before the final game of the season when we are scheduled to play Manchester United.

"Hopefully they will have secured the title by then if they are going to win it and we will already have done enough to be out of the bottom three."

COVENTRY chairman Ray Ranson has revealed that his lack of faith in Iain Dowie's `old-fashioned' methods led to the former manager's sacking.

"As is sometimes the case, we did not share the same ideals for the club and I felt that to move Coventry City forward towards a more progressive and modern way of operating I would need a different style of first-team management here," said former Manchester City player Ranson. "I have no timescales to get the new man in."

Tweet